Rider Profile - Stacey Hatch
After many years of riding experience, three years as a Canada Safety Council certified Instructor, and six years producing and editing TSN’s Motorcycle Experience the longest running and highest rated television motorcycle magazine for men and women in this country, Stacey has been promoting women and men in motorcycling for many years.
Stacey rides a BMW 650 GS and loves it. She has always tried to commute as much as possible and now lives in a beautiful riding area in Prince Edward County. “Imagine fabulous roads at the end of your driveway”. Her whole family is involved in the sport – everyone rides a dirt bike and her kids grew up on them. She enjoys touring although it took a bit of a hiatus while their family was growing up. Now it is taking off again. A couple of years ago, she did a solo tour through Northern Ontario and another with her husband and another couple through the Adirondacks. She’s looking forward to a lot of touring on her BMW this summer.
When Stacey first began riding, there were fewer women to ride with, they didn’t have as much riding experience and it was all about keeping up with the guys. “What I really like about motorcycling, is that it’s a level playing field. The men I met through motorcycling had a sense of equality and were very helpful. I envy the women today because they have more women to ride with; the men have always been very supportive though.” Over the years, she’s taken a few maintenance programs to learn as much as she can about caring for her own bike.
TSN’s Motorcycle Experience is a television program hosted by Dave Hatch, Stacey’s husband, through their company WhistleStop Productions Inc. and covers all aspects of riding. Clint McBain national superbike champion, does a technical segment; there’s a segment on dirt bike riding and Clinton Smout offers dirt riding tips. The show has produced a couple of stories that target women and many of their test riders are women. However, the overall general philosophy is that you can motorcycle just as well if you’re a man or a woman. “We treat all riders as people”. We want to make sure that women are treated equally and you have to try harder to find them because there aren’t as many of them. The show has wrapped for the season and will be starting again next January.
Stacey and Dave created the Ride to Remember, a 2 day event in memory of those who have furthered motorcycling in this country. The ride has raised over $80,000 for Camp Trillium, a camp specifically designed to meet the needs of children fighting terminal illness. This year, the event is changing. It will be held in late September at a local winery, will involve a ride through The County, and a concert by jazz great Holly Cole. Details will be available on the Ride to Remember website soon.
Stacey and Dave are excited to be having 2 custom bikes built by Bob McKay, Canada’s top custom bike builder who has been creating custom bikes for 30 years. They will take delivery of them next winter. “It puts a whole different feeling on going out for ice cream”.
Stacey sums it up very nicely when she says “I’ve met the nicest people through motorcycling.” Given her extensive experience and involvement across all aspects of our sport, those words could not carry more credibility.